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FREE uniform tax rebates

If you wear a uniform at work, and have to wash, repair or replace it yourself, you may be able to reclaim Ј100s of tax from the past four years.

Am I eligible for a tax rebate?

To be able to claim tax relief, ALL of the following must apply:

You wear a recognisable uniform that shows you've got a certain job, like a branded T-shirt, nurse or police uniform. Also, we've heard reports that even plain clothes, without a logo, that you only wear for work may count - it's worth a try.

Your employer requires you to wear it while you're working.

You have to purchase, clean, repair or replace it yourself. However, you can't claim if your employer washes your kit, provides facilities to do so (even if you don't use them) or pays you for doing this maintenance.

You paid income tax in the year you are claiming for.

One group that shouldn't need to go through the process is officers in the armed forces. The cost paid for the maintenance of their uniforms should be dealt with through their tax code, with their tax-free personal allowance raised to compensate.

If you're in the police force, some forces already claim it, but each have their own arrangement, so check what your force does. Other forces personnel may have washing facilities already available, so check the rules to see if you could claim.

Are you due a tax rebate? Use our free tax code checker to find out now.

How much could I get?

The amount you're able to claim tax relief on depends on your industry. The standard flat rate expense allowance (FREA) for uniform maintenance is Ј60 (for 2015/16) – so basic-rate taxpayers can claim Ј12 back (20% of Ј60), and higher-rate payers Ј24 (40% of Ј60). The

Ј60 is a flat rate, so you don't need to record and report the individual amounts you spend.

Most people can claim back within the past four years, so back to 2011 - plus the current year - if you've been wearing the uniform all that time. So a basic-rate taxpayer, claiming the standard uniform allowance for 2011-2015, could reclaim Ј60 in total.

Once you've registered, your tax code will change, so you'll be taxed less in the future. However, if your employer has paid back your expenses, you can't claim tax relief.

Some occupations have more specific limits, often to do with specialist uniforms, with the maximum allowance of Ј140. A higher-rate taxpayer would get back Ј56 tax on that for each year they claim (basic rate Ј28). Check the full list of occupations to see if yours is listed.

The only way you can get more than the standard payment is to prove that your annual uniform laundry bill is higher. For any claim. you'll need to fill in a P87 form and send it off.

IMPORTANT - you can do it yourself for FREE! We've heard reports of claims handlers - particularly on Facebook - offering to do this for you, then taking a cut. That's totally unnecessary, you can simply do this by yourself for FREE.

People have claimed over Ј200 back for FREE!

If you need a bit more inspiration - here are a couple of the many successes we've heard since first mentioning this rebate.

I just wanted to thank Martin. I applied for a uniform tax refund for the last three years and I’ve just received Ј180.

'butterfly legs' - May 2015

Woohoo. Finally got around to doing this, I've been in a uniformed role for 5 years now, got a very tasty Ј250 back.